My Other Reviews

OK, after my crap report of ACS, and me constantly calling, and emailing. We are getting DSL on the 26th of July.

ACS trys to play off of the success of GCI's "bundling" plans. We went ahead with the DSL Speed Pack, which is their step up from their very highly priced 320K/240K, which is part of the standard pack.

The speed pack comes with POTS, long distance, internet, and some pretty nifty phone features. The pack supposedly is $69/month, but it only comes with 100 long distance minutes, so I spent the extra $10/month and upgraded to 300 long distance minutes.

Two days before the truck roll comes, I get a phone call. "Sorry, due to equipment on your line, we can't commence with your dsl order. Sorry for the inconvenience."

OK.....

So, on their website, about a month ago, I looked up the DSL availability for both of my phone numbers (main line, dialup line), and my physical address, ALL 3 results came back like DSL was available. And guess what, IT STILL DOES. I HATE THIS COMPANY. GRRRRRRR!!!!! 5 years of my whining to their CSRs, and I even talked to the regional president. I can't seem to get anything done. Throw me a frickin bone here!

UPDATE: 10/28/06

Still tired of waiting.....This would be the six year anniversary since the first order I made. It kind of sucks if you ask me. Waiting on cross connects now, so they tell me. GRRRRR...

UPDATE: 6/3/07

Still tired of waiting, not necessarily whining anymore. Still pissed off, but I've kind of given up caring. CSRs tell me that it is coming, slowly, but still coming. Local techs say that they have received a lot of flak about this area because of the dense population and lack of service. Not really sure what to think about the subject anymore. I'm planning on moving pretty soon, and you can bet that I won't be getting DSL through these guys. Like all of the DSLRers say, "Netscape before you landscape!". I'll make sure I'm moving into a 10Mbps/384Kbps cable connection before too long, make sure you check back up with me for THAT review!!!

UPDATE: 3/24/08

Moved out of my old place and into a new dwelling. Currently have internet access provided by the University of Alaska who is my current employer for remote access if neccessary. I currently use that link for commodity browsing, but that is not the intention of that connection. I will be pursuing a commodity connection with GCI in the near future. Expect this to be the final update as I refuse any further dealings with ACS.

member for 9.7 years, 2007 visits, last login: 2 days agoupdated 6.9 years ago

Recently moved to Alaska from the lower 48 and started looking for a broadband connection immediately. In the Anchorage area, had choice between DSL (ACS)or GCI (Cable). GCI has download restrictions and strong ties to Worldcom - No thanks. ACS offered speeds equivalent to what I'm used to with NO download restrictions. This was a no brainer.

Received confirmation of order and DSL was installed 15 days from date of order. A little slower then the lower 48, but hey!!!!, life is slower up here. I've heard that installation is quicker now. Picked up modem and did a self-install. ACS could save a lot of money by asking consumer what operating system they use. If XP, no need to send install disk. Hooked up the modem and instant contact. Disconnected, hooked up the Wireless Access Point and been up ever since. No down time.

Speeds have been constant with reasonable overhead. Purchased 960/340 with a dynamic IP. Static is available but no need here.

If youre in the ACS service area, look no further then Alaska Communication Services for your broadband needs. No restrictions on the amount of download (GCI), reliable service and a decent price.

Broadband has reached Alaska and is here to stay. I would STRONGLY recommend DSL through ACS. Leave the cable and GCI (with strong ties to MCI and yes I have heartburn) with their download restrictions alone.

member for 13.7 years, 299 visits, last login: 37 days agolodged 10.2 years ago

Review by blkkat

PTI,also known as ACS is fantastic... Any problems I have ever had with them have been taken care of ASAP.I have many friends in town who use to use GCI( the only other game in town) and they have now switched to ACS.Tech support was once only so-so but now they have much better staff and they are here in the U.S.A.. It was only 3 days from the time I placed my order until I had my DSL and they are the ones who sent me here to learn more about securing my computer.

OK,Ok,here is my update.

They are now using Senderbase .org to nail down open relays and spammers.People are told how to clean up their computers and once they have done so their service is restored.They are also referring people to Ad-Aware to clean Spyware off their computers.So yes I am still very happy with them

member for 12.2 years, 548 visits, last login: 7.5 years agoupdated 10.2 years ago

Review by koolman2

Location: Anchorage,Anchorage,AK

Cost: $49 per month

Install: about 4 days

Good"reliable, little or no outages, no caps"Bad"slow (compared to the rest of the country), speeds sold don't include ~20% overhead"Overall "ACS (PTI) is a decent provider, although prices are high compared to GCI"

When I first started looking around for broadband (there wasn't much to see), I kept thinking about getting it, even though my 49.3kbps connection was fine as it was. Anyway, I finally talked myself into ordering it, and was at school at the time that it was fully activated. When I got home, I saw the sync light was on, so I immediately started downloading everything I could. WOW! This was blazing (slow now) fast!

Connection rate: 320kbps/240kbpsPrice: $49 (when I ordered, it was $54.95, but they have since lowered their prices)Order and install: Great! I picked up my DSL interface at the office in town, and had it hooked up and ready for the provision within a day!Home equipment: Nortel 1-meg modem provided, PPPoE, router optionalIP: Dynamic

Before I learned too much about computer security (thanks, BBR!!!), I contracted a trojan horse, and my firewall caught it before it got out of hand. I called up ACS and reported this, along with the IP address which was bombarding my computer. The guy I talked to was very nice, and led me step-by-step to report it to the proper authorities.

There was a problem up until about a few months ago which caused the DSL to lose sync whenever the phone was picked up or hung up (it would gain sync soon after), but that has since been fixed.

member for 12.4 years, 6758 visits, last login: a few hours agolodged 10.5 years ago